The more recent aud is also nice but I preferred this one despite some channel issues. It's a psychedelic show and a kind of trippy tape too. First set is a little wild, Bobby has some kind of cold and is a little off at first though the cough medicine clearly enters the bloodstream by set two. When I think of '85, I don't think of going down a rabbit hole of interlocking jams but here it is in this pre-drums. An amazing journey it is through a state of the art Scarlet>Fire and a really dense Playin', prob the longest of the year but I'd have to check. You can check if you want. But listen, the post drums is even better. After an unhinged drums and space (Chinese New Year), they do a spacy Wheel into a primal Black Peter that cranks like metallic gears with Bobby playing a particularly extroverted slide part. Not a perfect Lovelight but perhaps the best or at least the most wickedly rockin' Bobby GD version. It's practically 80's punk-pop near the end. Does Phil sing after Jerry commands him to on that U.S. Blues? Maybe he does.

This is an otherwise great recording but has some MAJOR channel errors that make parts of the show unlistenable. check out SPACE. the image keeps shifting back and forth b/n channels. These errors happen for extended periods of time.

MUSIC-WISE: Completely disagree with review below about this being lifeless. There are some dropped lyrics and both Garcia and Weir have rough voices (that at moments seem to pop right back into great form), but the playing is fiery and the show is full of wonderful moments.

1985 is my favorite year of the Dead maybe because that's when I saw the bulk of my shows...alas, maybe the last great year...this show might have had its unevenness but nobody can tell me that the Lovelight here isn't just smoking...just like I remembered it! thanks

saw lotsa' 85 shows--many were wild. this one is not. the recording is 4 outta 5 but the band is lame. first set is lifeless--cold rain snow comes out limping. intro to big river tells all. space/wheel/black peter are ok but the rest of the second set blows. then they butcher US blues to wrap things up. should have let phil sing instead!

this recording totaly rocks!It has good audio and just enough audience background to feel like your at the show!It makes me want to put on my tie-dye shirt and look for my lighter.

This is not a technical critique of the recording, but a note about the show.

It was Chinese New Year, and before the show started there was a Chinese group playing as a dragon danced around the stage...visually stunning.

No seats on the floor...plenty of room to dance and the entire first section of people at the stage were sharing everything...a group bonding move to be sure.

On a personal note...I was 17 at the time and my sister and I were on vacation in San Fran with my parents. I heard the DJ "M" on KFOG talking about the show the night before over in Oakland.

We called to get the datails, and before I hung up, he had given us free passes to the show. I convinced my parents to drop us of (My father had never seen the sceen and was a little freaked).

We went in and got a spot close to the stage...a girl handed me something and away it went...great memory and show.

One last thing...when we were on our way over the Bay Bridge with my parents, my father hands me the map and asks how to get to the hotel...I just kind of laughed and told him he was doing fine.

Kaiser shows were generally complete freak shows. This nice little audience has a great ambience. I wouldn't say this show is flawless, for one, Bobby is a very hoarse on Looks Like Rain, but all in all, worth a stream at the very least. 5 stars for sound - 4 for jam, 4 overall

This a GREAT audience recording (one of the best I've heard) that's victim to SBE errors on each disc's first track. I'd love to hear this remastered or just recut, but it's definitely worth listening to. Check it out to see what AUDs should be.